Serendipity
by spoilers-mrs.robison
Summary: How could two teenagers possibly change the lives of Mulder and Scully so completely?
1. Chapter 1

Scully and Mulder entered the house of their most recent suspect with guns drawn. The X-Files had been slow as of late so Skinner had decided to lend them out to VCU. They had been assigned to a child killer case. Lance Hisman was wanted for the murder of six teenagers, and the kidnap of eight. He had yet to kill the two now in his posession, hopefully.

Lance would grab two teenagers at a time, always a boy and a girl. The first set taken were two sophomores out on a date, they were found three weeks later. They were followed by neighbors playing basketball, the two were found 18 days later, torn up beyond recognition. The latest victims found were two friends walking home from school together. They were found exactly two weeks after they were taken, some of their key organs missing. Now he had twin thirteen year olds, and no one could seem to figure out how they landed in his possesion.

Suddenly a blood curtling scream came from the back of the house. Scully spared a quick glance behind her towards Mulder then started running in the direction the screaming was coming from. A secind scream confirmed that the partners were outside the correct door. Kicking it open the two agents rushed in to see a man, Lance, hovering over the two teenagers and weilding a knife. The boy's arm was leaking blood, and the girl was putting pressure on it trying desperately to make it stop. "Put the knife down!" Scully commanded aiming her gun directly between his eyes.

"Make me." Lance sneered attempting to move towards the kids with the knife. Without a second thought Scully fired the gun, killing him instantly.

"Mulder call an ambulance." Scully told him as she re-holstered her gun. She carefully walked over to the two terrified sibblings, "Hi." she said in a sweet voice her partner knew was reserved for children, but for some reason this time it seemed to have more emotion in it, "I'm Dana, that was my partner Mulder. We're here to help you." The children just stared at her warily, "What are your names?"

"I-I'm Lillianna, th-this is Mark." The girl said. Her voice was still shaking from fright and the adrenaline that was surely still flowing through her veins.

"Okay. I'm a trained doctor so may I take a look at your arm Mark?" Scully requested. Mulder was standing in the doorway reflecting on how much his partner looked and sounded like a mother.

Mark nodded silently and Lillianna cautioulsy removed her hands. "How bad is it?" He whispered wincing slightly.

"Well..." Scully said not looking up. Lillianna looked terrified. When Scully raised her head she was smiling slightly, "You'll be fine Mark, probably only need a few stitches." she reassured.

"Oh thank God!" Lillianna exclaimed letting her head fall against Scully's shoulder.

"Do you guys want to wait for the ambulance outside?" Mulder asked suddenly.

"Yes!" Mark said attemtping to stand up. He finally accepted Scully's help and once they were all standing Lillanna attached herself to the older womans side. scully wrapped one arm around her. Mark came up to her other side and with his uninjured arm grabbed her hand.

Mulder walked behind them making sure everyone was okay. Mulder leaned down so he could whisper in Scully's ear, "You look good with kids."

Scully simply looked at him sadly before they left the torture room behind.

XxXxXxXxX

Entering the Washington University hospital emergency room Skinner could have sworn he only saw families, not his agents. After a moment he realised why he didn't see them right away. Scully, Mulder, and a young girl sat on a tiny couch basically huddled together. The girl, a teenager, had shoulder length auburn hair and icy blue eyes. She had freckles sprinkled across her nose and cheeks and was wearing a tank-top and sweats. The girl sat wrapped in Scully's arms, clinging to her. Scully ahd changed out of her customary suit and was now in sweat pants and a t-shirt, both of which were huge on her. She was using Mulder's chest as a pillow while he tried to keep both girls comfortable. Mulder had discarded his jacket and tie, unbuttoned the top three buttons of his shirt, and rolled up his sleeves. All three looked shaken up and tired. Slowly the assistant director approached them. Mulder was the first to notice him. He moved the arm that was around Scully to point him out. Skinner noticed how none of them moved, "Agents." he said before giving the girl a curious look.

"Sir this is Lillianna," Scully explained, "Lance Hisman was holding her and her brother Mark when we busted him earlier. Mark had a cut on his arm that needed stitching. We are waiting for him."

"Agent Scully, what are you wearing?" Skinner asked slightly amused and trying not to laugh.

Mulder decided he should explain, "Well sir both Scully and Lillianna needed a change of clothes. Scully gave her spare clothes to Lillianna so I gave mine to Scully."

"Agents?" One of the nurses called. The couches three occupants stood up, "You may go see Mark now."

Lillianna showed a genuine smile for the first time that night before running for Mark's room, dragging Scully behind her by the hand, "Mark!" she exclaimed relieved when they saw him sitting on the bed.

"Hey Lilly." Makr said opening his arms as she approached him for a hug.

When the twins pulled apart they were both smiling. Mark turned to see who else was in the room, "What Dana, no hug?" he teased.

Scully walked over anyway and hugged him tightly, "I'm glad you're okay." she whispered

"Thanks Dana." he whispered back, kissing her cheek before letting her go, "Is the prick in the suit a social worker?"

Mulder tried to stifle his laugh but failed misserably, "No man, this is our boss Skinner."

"'Sup?" Mark asked. Skinner noticed this young man was very calm for what he had endured. His sister on the other hand was either attached to Mark or Dana's side at all times.

"Mark, Lilly, we need to know about your parents." Scully said quietly.

"What's to know?" Mark asked bitterly, "They died thirteen years ago. End of story."

"Okay," Mulder said a little awkwardly, "How did you end up in the hands of Lance Hisman?"

"Our foster parents sold us to him for drug money." Lillianna said, a look of disgust contoring her face.

"Oh my God." Scully exclaimed horrified "You are NOT going back there!" she said firmly, "Sir we need to find them a decent home! Please?"

"This late on a Friday night? I'm sorry Agent Scully but they are going to have to stay in a boarding house for at least a couple of days." Skinner said, his voice sounding flippant.

Scully became furious. Her eyes slitted dangerously and her mouth became a thin line, "Hallway." she said firmly before dragging Mulder out the door behind her. Mark and Lillianna exchanged puzzled but amused looks as Skinner followed.

Lillianna and Mark watched for a solid five minutes as Scully and Skinner yelled at each other. Mulder added comments occasionally earning him a smile from Scully and a glare from 'the prick'.

Finally Skinner stopped yelling, said something, shook his head, and walked away. Scully turned to Mulder with a huge smile on her face.

"Way to go Dana." Lilly whispered.

The two watched as Mulder wrapped his arms around her waist and picked Scully up, spining her around happily.

"They look really happy. what do you think happened?" Mark asked.

"I don't know but I'm assuming it is something very good." her smile almost as large as Scully's.

Soon afterwards Mulder and Scully walked back into the room, "Good news!" Scully said excitedly, "Youtwo are going to be staying with me!"

XxXxXxXxX

"Okay I have one extra bedroom but it has two twin beds in it" Scully said as she threw her purse and keys onto a side table.

"Better than some of the places we've been." Lillianna muttered under her breathe.

"Oh Mark, Mulder should be by in a little while with some clothes for you to sleep in. You guys like pepperoni pizza right?" Scully asked as she picked up the phone.

"Definelty. It's our fave." Mark told her before becoming serious, "Thank you Dana, really."

"You two are more tha welcome. I've wanted to have kids for awhile anyways." Scully said not really realising she had said the last part aloud.

Lillianna and Mark smiled at each other. They both knew that they would be staying with Dana for a long time.

"Sooo..." Lilly said with an obvious smirk in her voice.

"What's up Lil?" Scully asked.

"What's with you and Mulder? Are you talking? Dating? *gasp* Are you two engaged? Oh taht's so adorable. I bet you will look soooo pretty in a wedding dress." Lilliannasaid quickly, finishing with a dreamy sigh.

"Wooooh Lil, slow down. Mulder and I are only partners and frinds. We are not dating let alone engaged." Scully said a little flustered.

"So all that hugging and stuff was...?"

"Friends." Scully confirmed.

"Are they blind?" Mark whispered to his sister causing her to giggle.

"Apparently." she whispered back.

Suddenly the three heard a loud banging on teh door before Mulder's voice yelled, "Come on Scully, my arms are kinda full here."

"I'm coming Mulder, I'm coming." she yelled back rolling her eyes to the kids before jogging for the door.

She opened her door to a smirking Mulder. She didn't understand why he was smiling until he whispered, "Funny, you yelled that in my dreams last night too."

Scully's face became almost as red as her hair, "Shut up Mulder!"

"Pizza's here!" Mulder called to the two kids while flashing his partner a cheesy smile.

Mark followed Lillianna out of their room and for the first time Scully really studied his appearance. His hair had a redder tint to it than Lillianna's did. They shared the freckles but Mark's eyes were a warm chocolate brown. Scully realized shickingly that the kids looked like her and Mulder. Lillianna was short like her, and Mark was tall like Mulder. Lilly was not comforted until she knew all teh facts and Mark was fine with a gut feeling. The kids could be their kids. _I'm probably reading to much into things_ Scully thought.

"Why 'ya blushin' Dana?" Lilly asked teasingly.

Scully couldn't help but smile, "Mulder's dirty mind."

The kids turned to Mulder for an explanation. He simply said "Sex joke."

They rolled their eyes and kept eating.

XxXxXxXxX 

"So what is it exactly that you guys do?" Lillianna asked from the chair she was sitting upside down in. Mark was laying on the couch and Mulder sat in the other chair. As a joke Mulder had pulled Scully to sit in his lap and neither had moved since.

"We investigate things that most people can't explain." Scully said carefully.

"What was so unexplained about our case?" Mark asked curiously.

Mulder and Scully shared a wary glance before Mulder explained, "The victims...they were all found with their eyes and hearts gouged out. It was thought to be the work of a cult or some weird religous ceremony."

Lilly looked a little bit pale, "Thanks for saving us."

"You're welcome sweetie." Scully whispered quietly.

"Is there anything else we should know?" Mark asked cautiously.

"Well next week is Thanksgiving so you'll meet my family." Scully said, happy to change the subject.

"What? We're actually celebrating Thanksgiving?" Lillianna asked jumping up excitedly.

"Of course we are, it's a family holiday and all of you are my family." Scully said right away.

"Oh my God!" Lillianna exclaimed rushing over to hug Scully tightly, "This is so freakin' cool!"

"Wow." Mark said simply with a smile before he walked over to hug Scully also.

Scully hugged them both back while looking at Mulder. In that moment they both knew that the twins weren't going anywhere anytime soon.


	2. Chapter 2

"Dana! I don't know what to wear!" Lilly complained as she entered her foster mothers room. Dana wore a silk robe that reached about mid thigh. Lilly was only wrapped in a towel and her wet hair hung limply around her face, "What are you wearing?"

"A black skirt. I can't decide on a top." Scully admitted staring at her closet. "You should wear that purple dress we bought. You look good in it. Oh! Have Mark wear his purple tie!"

Lilly rolled her eyes but went to get her clothes. On the way she picked up the phone and dialed a number she already had memorized.

"Hello?"

"Hey Mulder, it's Lilly." she said as she dug the dress out of her closet.

"Oh hi doll. What's up?" Mulder asked

"What color tie are you wearing?" she demanded

"Ummm...red?" Mulder said confused.

"Okay. See you soon!" Lilly said hanging up. She pulled on her dress, gave Mark his tie, and went to talk to Dana again.

"Oh yes! Definetly that! You look beautiful!" Dana said happily when Lillianna walked back in.

Lilly smiled and reached into Dana's closet, "Wear this. You will look good in it." she said simply. Lilly handed Scully a button up silk red shirt with small sleeves, then she walked out.

"Lil, what was that about?" Mark asked as he eyed her suspicioulsy.

"Well Dana gave me an idea when she had me match your tie to my dress."

"And that would be...?"

"Mulder is wearing a red tie so Dana is wearing a red shirt."

"We need to do more than make them match to get them together Lil!" Mark said logically

"I know that! I just couldn't help it. Admit it, it's cute!" Lilly exclaimed. Dana then walked out of her room and they were ready to pick up Mulder then head to Maggie Scully's.

XxXxXxXxX

"So is there anything we need to know about your family?" Mark asked when they got on the highway.

"Well we're going to my mothers house," Scully started, "her name is Maggie. I have two brothers, Ones Charlie, the other's Bill." Charlie is married to Katie and they have a four year old son Charlie Jr, CJ for short. Bill is married to Tara and Tara is pregnant with their first. Bill is, to put it simply, an ass. If you don't like him, don't worry about it, we don't like him much either." Scully said motioning between herself and Mulder, "Oh and my mom said her boyfriend is coming."

"Your mother's got a boyfriend?" Mulder asked shocked. He knew Maggie missed having a man around the house but he didn't know she had actually started dating again.

"I know, it's gross!" Scully said making a face. She was gripping the steering wheel so tightly that her knuckles were turning white.

"Hey Scully." Mulder whispered prying her right hand off the steering wheel and thread his fingers through hers, "Calm down, we'll be there the whole time. You've got us."

"Thanks Mulder." she said shooting him a smile. They held hands for the rest of the ride.

XxXxXxXxX

"Okay guys, Lil and Mark will you stand together please?" Scully requested.

"What's the big deal Scully?" Mulder asked trying to hide a smile. They were all standing on Maggie Scully's door step at this point.

"This is the first time my mom is meeting my family. I want it to go well."

"I've met your mom Scully." Mulder pointed out teasingly.

"She hasn't met the kids yet." Scully said pushing the doorbell. Mulder noticed that she had pretty much just told him that she considered him, Mark, and Lilly to be her family now. This made him very happy.

Scully heard someone running for the door, and the her mothers voice, "Honestly I don't know why my children bother ringing the bell." she grumbled before opening the door, "Oh Dana! You're the first one here!"

"Hi mom!" Scully cheered as she was pulled into a hug.

"Ooooh, you brought Fox?" Maggie asked incredulously.

Scully rolled her eyes, "Yes mom I brought 'Fox'." Scully noticed Mulder cringed when they said his given name.

"Is he the surprise guests you were talking about?" Maggie asked raising an eyebrow.

"Actually no." Scully said putting one arm around each of the twins and pulling them forward, "Mom, meet Mark and Lillianna, guys this is my mom."

"Hi," Maggie said sweetly, "What's going on Dana?"

"I'm their foster mother." Scully said happily.

"How old are they?" she asked.

"We're thirteen Ma'am." Mark told the obvioulsy shocked woman. His manners were impecable.

"Twins?" Maggie asked as her eyes grew wide.

"I know mom. We'll talk later, okay?" Scully asked a little panicked. Maggie just nodded her head and ushered them all inside.

"What was that about Scully?" Mulder asked as he helped her out of her coat.

"Nothin' Mulder, forget it." she muttered.

"Dana! Wanna help me in the kitchen?" Maggie demanded dragging her off.

"What was that about?" Lillianna asked becoming a little uncomfortable.

"I think Maggie just wants to know what's going on." Mulder said sitting down. Lilly immediately sat next to him, rather closely. She was uncomfortable around new people.

XxXxXxXxX

"Seriously Dana? Twins? A boy and a girl? Thirteen? Are you trying to set yourself up for heartbreak?" Maggie asked pushing Dana into a chair as she started to pace.

"I'm not replacing them mom." Scully said wincing. Her mother always knew which buttons to press.

"It sure as hell seems like it! They are the same gender, age, hey they look like you Dana!" Maggie said as she stopped pacing and stared at her daughter.

"Mom, they died!" Scully yelled jumping up, "They died the day they were born. They didn't even have names, so how could I replace them?"

"Fine Dana! Fine! But don't say I didn't warn you..." Maggie trailed off leaving her daughter standing alone in the kitchen. When Maggie walked into the living room three heads turned to look at her, all sporting the same curious look, "Dana will be out in a minute." she muttered.

Scully came out as the doorbell rang again. Her expression was completely nuetral. Mulder knew something was wrong.

XxXxXxXxX

"Dana with kids!" Bill exclaimed as he took a sip of the beer in his hand, "Now there's a sight I never thought I would get to see."

"Come one Bill. She's always been the best with kids and you know it!" Charlie retorted. The two brothers stood in the doorway to Maggie Scully's living room observing their sister. She was sitting facing two teenagers and they were all laughing and talking.

"You know, Lillianna and Mark remind me of them." Bill admitted not taking his eyes off the scene. he was becoming more sentimental now that his wife was pregnant.

"They remind everyone." Charlie said simply. It was true.

As they watched Mulder came back into the room and gave the three their drinks. Their sister gave him a smile as he sat next to her, a little to close for Bill's liking. "Look at that poor bastard. He's pathetic."

"Dana obviously thinks highly of him. They seem happy together. That's good enough for me." Charlie said with a shrug.

"They are NOT dating!" Bill insisted.

"Really?" Charlie asked shocked, "Could've fooled me."

"Dinner's ready!" Maggie called.

Both brothers watched as Mulder and Mark stood, each offering a hand to help their girl up. "Stuff like that is what had me convinced." Charlie said over his shoulder to Bill. Scully and Mulder didn't notice and just walked to the table behind Lilianna and Mark while holding hands.

XxXxXxXxX

"So what do you two like to do?" Tara asked the twins.

"Baseball." Mark said, while Lilly simultaneously replied, "Reading."

Bill snorted, "You sound like Dana, Lilly." he said rather condesendingly.

"And look how well I turned out." she retorted giving him a fake smile.

"You know, I prefer football." Charlie said trying to change the subject.

"Football's okay, but it's a little to barbaric for me." Mark said before shoving a piece of broccoli between his lips.

"Agreed!" Mulder added.

The woman's half of the table turned away from the sports talk. Katie started the conversation, "Dana, Why didn't you tell me how cute Mulder is?" she gushed.

Scully couldn't hold back a chuckle as she blushed a little, "Sorry Kate, next time I will try and describes my partners cuteness more accurately."

"That's all I ask." Katie said giving her a teasing grin.

"So Lilly, what do you think of Mulder?" Tara asked. They all hoped that Mulder would be like a father to Mark and Lillianna.

Lillianna smiled, "He's really nice and wicked funny. He always knows how to make Dana blush too."

"Something we should know about Dana?" Maggie teased as she scooped food onto her plate.

"No, nothing is going on between us. We're just partners. How many times do I have to tell you guys?" Scully asked exasperated.

"Until the answer changes!" Katie declared pointing her fork at Scully. Everyone except Dana laughed.

"Can we change the subject?" Scully pleaded.

"No!" Tara and Katie sang at the same time.

"We need Lilly to give us the gossip." Tara added cheerfully.

"Where do I start?" Lilly asked loving all the attention she was suddenly getting.

"The begining!"

Lilly smiled at her foster mother before she started talking, "Okay, well at the hospital..." Lillianna spent the next ten minutes describing everything from Scully wearing Mulder's clothes, to catching them hugging, to the longing stares.

Scully kept getting amused glances so as soon as Lilly finished she changed the subject, "Mom, where's this boyfriend of yours?"

"He's coming for dessert." Maggie said staring at her plate.

"Ooh, who is it?" Katie asked.

"...Dana knows him..." she said dismissively.

"I do? how'd you meet him?" Scully asked.

"When you were in the hospital."

"Which time?" Dana asked getting annoyed.

Maggie blushed, "All of them."

Suddenly shouting from the other end of the table broke up the discussion.

"Dodgers!" Bill and Charlie yelled.

"Yankees!" Mulder and Mark yelled back.

"Dodgers!"

"Yankees!"

"Hey!" Katie yelled getting their attention, "Shut up! You'll wake up CJ."

"Sorry." they all grumbled guiltily. the rest of the meal went on without a hitch.

XxXxXxXxX

"Mulder." Scully whispered harshly, motioning for him to follow her. Mark and Lilly stared with smirks at the two adults so she told them to come too.

"What's up?" Mulder asked.

"We have to figure out who moms boyfriend is!" she said frantically, "She said she met him at the hospital, everytime I've been there."

"Uh, your doctor?" Mulder said in a very 'duh' tone.

"No, we go to so many different hopitals at such weird times that I rarely get the same doctor twice. Hell half the time they're women." Scully said logically.

"Maybe a nurse?" Mark offered.

"No, that's like the doctors." Scully said as she started pacing.

"Well the one person I can think of that's always there when you're in the hospital is me." Mulder said shrugging.

"It damn well better not be you!" Scully said with fire in her eyes. Mulder couldn't tell if it was from anger or jealousy, but hoped it was the later.

"Hey, come here." Mulder said quietly. When she was close enough he pulled her in for a hug, "Calm down. Dana, i'm sure he's a good guy."

"He's here." Lilly whispered from her spot spying in the doorway.

"Who is it?" Scully asked a little afraid of the answer she might recieve.

Mark stared from his spot beside his sister in shick, "The prick in the suit!"

XxXxXxXxX

"Mom!" Scully yelled, "You're dating my boss!" they were once again in the kitchen for a discussion.

"Do I judge your relationships Dana?" Maggie questioned.

"Yes! Pretty much any chance you get!" Scully responded indigantly

"Well I haven't said anything about the twins yet!" Maggie yelled.

"Don't you bring my family into this!" Scully answered right away, "My relationship with them does not effect you!"

"And my relationship with Walter effects you?" Maggie asked putting her hands on her hips and raising her eyebrow.

"YES!" Scully yelled throwing her hands in the air, "He's my boss mom!"

"And?" Maggie asked still not understanding why her daughter was so mad.

Scully sighed heavily, "And he's in charge of my career? He can transfer me at any moment? He can split me and Mulder up? He is in total control of my job?"

"This relationship won't effect that!" Maggie said emphatically.

"Oh yeah? What if I ever get a promotion? People are going to think it's because you're screwing him! What if I get hurt one day at work and you just tell him how much you hate me being in the field and he transfers me? There is no way that my job won't be effected!" Scully yelled before storming out and running to the front door. She didn't need the rest of her family seeing her angry tears.

"Scully!" Mulder yelled jumping up to race after her. Lillianna and Mark glanced aet each other and silently agreed to follow them out.

The kids found Mulder and Scully sitting together on the swing on Maggie's deck. Scully was curled into his side like a child. Mulder had his arms around her and was letting his head rest on top of hers. Silently the twins walked over and joined them. Lillianna sat on theother side of Scully and leaned on her when Scully put her arm around Lilly's shoulders. Mark sat next to Mulder and exchanged a worried glance with him before Mark took hold of Scully's free hand. The little family sat in the comfort of each other's arms.


	3. Chapter 3

It had been just under three weeks since Thanksgiving. Scully was avoiding Skinner whenever possible, so Mulder had been acting as her mediator. The twins had started school at the school less than a block from the hoover building as well. After almost four weeks of living together, Scully and the twins had developed a routine. They would get up, get ready, Mulder would pick them up, drop the kids at school, the adults would go to work, and then Mark and Lilly would walk to the hoover after school to hang out until work was over.

Today just happened to be a Saturday that Scully and Mulder were forced to work, and the twins had wanted to come in with them. Currently they all sat in the office. Scully was typing a report, Mulder was throwing pencils at the ceiling, Mark was sleeping on the couch in the back of the office, and Lillianna was doing her homework on the floor.

Around one o'clock Scully pressed the save button and stood up, stretching her back, "Mulder, I'm hungry." she announced.

Mulder looked at her from his reclined position before standing up and grabbing his jacket, "Let's go get lunch." he said simply.

"But Mulder, the kids." she said trying to shrug off the hand he had put on her shoulder to guide her out the door.

"We'll be fine Dana." Lillianna assured the agent, "I haven't even started on my short story for English and Mark will be passed out back there for at least two hours. Go get lunch and just bring us something back, okay?"

Scully stared at her foster daughter skeptically for a minute before sighing, "Fine, but if you need anything, and I mean anything, you call me. Understood?" Scully asked sounding just like a mother.

"Absolutely." Lilly said with a small, quirky smile, "We'll be fine. Call me if you start freaking out and need reasurrance."

"Come on Scully." Mulder said practically pushing her out of the office, "You heard the girl. Let's go."

Scully had been fidgetty for the ten minutes that the partner's had been sitting in a diner close to the FBI HQ. Mulder sighed heavily, looking pointedly at his partner, "Just call her if you're that nervous."

Scully shook her head defiantly, "No, they're fine. I'm being illogical. I won't call them and seem like an idiot."

"Okay." Mulder said skeptically.

Barely five minutes later Scully sighed and reached for her phone, giving up her fight and dialing the office number. It rang a few times before going to voicemail. "That's weird." she whispered quickly re-dailing and pressing the phone to her ear again, "Mulder." she called her voice a little shaky, "They aren't answering. It's going to voicemail."

"I'm sure it's nothing Scully." Muler tried to reassure, "Lilly is probably just really into the story she'd writting or in the bathroom or something. I'm sure it's nothing."

Scully shook her head, her stubborness showing again, "Can we get our food to go Mulder? I want to get back to the office."

"Yeah." Mulder said, a little surprised at his usually level headed partner, "Just give me a second. why don't you go wait in the car?"

XxXxXxXxX

They pulled up to the Hoover less then a half an hour after leaving and were shocked to see pedestrians surrounding the building. "M-mulder." Scully said shakily, "What the hell is going on?"

"Probably just some big arrest." Mulder said barely believing himself. They got out of the car and started pushing their way through people. They finally made it to a police barricade. flashing their badges, they were quickly allowed access.

"I don't like this Mulder." Scully warned, "This is no arrest."

"Oh agents." Skinner said suddenly running up to them, "Thank god. Where have you been? We were worried you were still inside."

Mulder heard Scully's shard intake of breathe and quickly grabbed her hand. She squeezed his hand tightly. "What is going on sir?" Mulder asked politely but anyone could detect the panic in his voice.

"The building was taken hostage five minutes ago." Skinner said. Mulder heard scully's strangled gasp and felt the grip on his hand tighten, "Anyone who was still inside was taken hostage."

"Everyone?" Scully asked breathlessly. Skinner nodded solemnly. "No." she whispered looking to the building, "No, this can't be happening." she asid louder, "No!" she finally yelled while trying to run towards the building.

Mulder grabbed her around the middle and held her tightly even though she continued to try and struggle, "No, I can't lose them too! Not again!"

"Skinner." Mulder barked at his superior, "Get them the hell out or get us in. Lillianna and Mark at inside!" he yelled making his boss run off to see what the attack plan was. Mulder turned his attention to his partner and turned her in his arms so she was facing him. He held her tightly as she tried to push out of his grasp. Finally she stopped fighting and fell against his chest as she started crying, "It will be okay Dana." he whispered as he ran his fingers through her hair, "We'll get them out and everything will be okay."

"Not again." she muttered more to herself then anyone else, "I can't do it again. I can't handle having it happen twice. They can't die too." she whispered desperately.

"Agents! We have an op set up." Skinner informed them as he jogged back over towards them. he handed each agent a kevlar vest, "Put these on. This guy has blocked all the netrances except the service entrance. We're going in there. If you want to help you better move fast." he warned.

Mulder pulled back to look his partner in the eye, "Are you okay to do this Dana?" he asked softly.

Scully wiped her eyes with the back of her hand before answering, "I want our kids back Fox." she didn't even realize she had refered to the children as 'theirs' not 'hers'. She strapped the vest on and unholstered her gun.

"Okay, let's go get our kids." he answered taking her free hand in his and walking over to the group assembled next to the service entrance.

"Okay listen up!" Skinner demanded as he unrolled a blue-print of the building, "Everyone was moved into the Cafe. There are anywhere between fifty and a hundred people that he has hostage, anyone else was out to lunch or on assignment. I want someone guarding every entrance incase he makes a run for it. Carter, your team take the right entrance. Anderson, your's takes the left. Mulder and Scully are with me, we're taking the front, got it?" Everyone nodded so Skinner nodded back, "Okay get in position." after everyone had checked in saying they were in position Skinner ordered, "Okay, on three...One...Two...Three!"

The door into the building was thrown open and the corridor flooded with agents. Quietly they surrounded the cafeteria while Skinner, Mulder, and Scully took the main entrance, "You ready?"

"Mulder and I want our kids Skinner." she said in a deadly tone, "Let's go." she let Mulder kick the door in and spun into the room, gun pointed straight out, "Federal agents! Put the gun down!" she yelled.

The man whose back was facing them turned around with an ugly sneer on his face and pointed the gun he was carrying right at Scully, "What did you say?" he asked menacingly.

"I said put the gun down." she ordered trying to keep her voice as calm as she could.

"I don't think so." the man said scowling at her.

"Hey," Mulder said commanding the man's attention, "Do as she says and we can all just go home."

With the man properly distracted Scully swept her eyes around the room, finally looking at the hostages. She saw a few secretaries and agents she noticed, and what looked like a tour group. Finally her eyes settled on the terrified Mark and Lillianna. They were huddled together in the farthest corner of the room, under a table covered in coffee supplies. At that moment they looked so young and vulnerable. When their eyes locked, Mark whispered one word, "Mom."

Scully almost burst into tears again right there. She would have too, but her attention was drawn back to the man with the gun, shouting, "No, we can't all just go home. How am I supposed to go home? I have no home thanks to you people and the fucking government screwing me over!"

"Sir." Scully said calmly, "Just put the gun down and we can talk about it, okay?"

"Don't fucking lie to me!" the man yelled as he pointed the gun directly at her chest and pulled the trigger twice.

"No! Mom!" Lillianna yelled crawling out from under the table and sprinting across the room, dodging other hostages, until she reached Scully's side. She fell to her knees with tears streaming down her cheeks, Mark was right behind her.

Mulder pulled his own trigger and shot the man directly between the eyes, killing him instantly. Mulder collapsed next to his partner at the same time that the twins reached her.

"Mom? Please no. Mom, mom please!" Lillianna whispered desperately.

"Lilly," Scully whispered back, "Baby calm down." Scully reached for the edge of her jacket and lifted it to show to bullets lodged into the kevlar vest Skinner had handed her minutes earlier. "It only hit the vest. I'm fine baby."

"Oh thank God!" Lilly said as she threw her arms around Scully's neck and hugged her tightly. Mark hugged her as well.

"I'm really really glad you're okay mom." Mark whispered as she wrapped her arms around both of them.

"I'm just glad the two of you are okay. I was so worried." Scully answered hugging them tighter as she felt Mulder's arms wrap around all of them.

XxXxXxXxX

"Scully, can we talk?" Mulder asked as she came out of the twins room from checking on them for the hundreth time that night.

"Sure Mulder." she said sitting next to him on the couch, "What's up?"

Mulder paused for a second collecting his thoughts, "I just wanted to ask you about something you said earlier, when, you know...?" he said awkwardly. He had no idea how to ask this.

"Well what is it?" Scully asked amused at how he seemed so nervous. She didn't know why he would be.

"When we found out that Mark and Lilly were in the building you started kind of talking to yourself while I was trying to calm you down." Mulder started, "You started saying something about 'not again' and how you couldn't do it twice and stuff like that." Mulder noticed some of the color drain from his partners face, "I wanted to know what you meant by that?"

Scully's face was white as a ghost at this point. She took a few deep, shuddering breathes before standing shakily and walking towards a closet. She reached upand grabbed a box a bit bigger than a shoe box and walked back to where she had been sitting. She took another deep breathe before she started speaking, "It all started on one of my friends birthdays while I was in med school. A group of us went to this club and we all got really drunk. To this day I can't remember how much I had to drink." She explained, "We all started dancing, and this guy who was probably drunk too came up to me and we started dancing together. We were both just so drunk. I think we started making out in the club and then I decided to go home with him so we kinda just left. I woke up a few hours later and my clothes were strewn across what I assumed was his bedroom and he was still passed out. I got dressed really quick and left, I never even learned his name.

A few weeks later I started not feeling well but I just attributed it to stress from exams and stuff. When it lasted for a week my roommate finally convinced me to go to the doctors, claiming that they could give me some prescription stress pills or something. I went and they did a few tests like blood tests and stuff. After about an hour my doctor came back in and I remember she ahd this huge smile on her face and she just said, 'Congratulations Dana' and I asked her why on earth would she be congratulating me and she looks at me a little surprised and said, 'You're pregnant'."

Mulder quickly grabbed one of her hands and squeezed it lightly, "Oh God Dana." he whispered.

She gave him a small grateful smile before continuing, "A week or two later exams were over and I was going home for summer break. I told my mom when we were in the car driving home from the airport and she was so shocked we almost got in an accident." Sculy smiled fondly at the memory, "Everyone knew by the end of the day. They were all really supportive, even though I wasn't having children the conventional catholic way that my mom and dad expected. When I was about four months along I found out that I was carrying twins." she whispered opening the box she had retrieved earlier, "One little boy and one little girl."

"Scully..." Mulder whispered desperately as he moved closer to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

Scully rested her head on his shoulder as she kept talking, "I was so excited. I had always wanted kids and I was getting a boy and a girl. I mean sure I was gonna have to be a single mother, but I didn't care, I just wanted children so badly." Scully lifted out one blue and one pink teddy bear from the box, "I had their room all decorated, my mom got the teddy bears. Hell even Bill was excited, giving me little baby clothes whenever he would visit. I went into Labor on March 18th and at 3:04 in the afternoon my little boy was born, followed by my little girl at 3:11. They were perfect." Scully lifted a single photo out of the box and held it so Mulder could see. In it a tired but smiling Scully was holding two little bundles, one blue and one pink, and staring at them with adoration. she gazed at the picture wistfully, "Just perfect."

"Baby," Mudler whispered kissing her forehead, "What happened?" he asked quietly.

"They were taken to the nursery to be cleaned and stuff. I still hadn't decided what I wanted to name them. About a half an hour later a nurse walked in and she just had this look on her face. I knew right away that something was horribly wrong." scully said as her tears started, "S-she told me that there had been umm complications after birth. Mulder, she told me both my children had died." Scully said right before she started sobbing, "A-after that I...I just ran. I discharged myself and never went back."

"Dana, baby I'm sorry I am so sorry." he whispered in her ear as he started stroking her back and running his fingers trough her hair, "I am so sorry Angel, so so sorry."

Eventually Scully calmed down and fell asleep in his arms. Mulder looked at her for a long time, just staring at her, "I love you Scully." he whispered softly before succumbing to sleep himself.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning Mark and Lillianna woke up fairly early. When Lillianna glanced at her alarm clock she noticed the bright red numbers said it was only 5:23. They had both had nightmares about Dana getting shot, and didn't want to go back to sleep. They layed silently in their beds for a few minutes before Lilly finally whispered, "Come on Mark, maybe we can make mom breakfast or something. I'm sick of sitting here." she sat up and pulled a sweatshirt over her head and pulled socks on before standing in the doorway with her arms crossed and an eyebrow raised.

"I guess I can butter toast." Mark said grudgingly getting up to follow his spirited twin.

The twins walked down the hallway and into the living room, where they stopped in their tracks and stared wide eyed with their mouths hanging open. "What the hell happened while we were asleep?" Lillianna asked rhetorically. Mulder and Scully were still curled up asleep in each other's arms. The two practically clung to each other in their state of unconciousness. Lilly couldn't help but notice Scully's eye's were red and she had dried tear tracks on her face.

That's when Mark noticed the box. He silently walked over and knelt next to the coffee table. The first thing he picked up were the teddy bears. "Lil, come look at this." he whispered almost frantically.

Lillianna looked at what was in his hand and gasped, "Did mom have a baby?" she whispered as she pulled out pink and blue blankets. They sat going through the box. They found ballons declaring 'It's a boy!' and 'It's a girl!', hats that a baby might recieve at a hospital or as a gift, and little baby clothes.

"What is all this?" Mark asked shocked. They had never heard Dana mention a child the whole time they had lived together.

"Mark?" Lilly asked as her voice shook, "Can you go get the picture please?"

Mark looked at his sister curiously, "What is it Lil?"

"Just get the damn picture!" Lilly whispered harshly. She never took her eyes off of whatever was in the box that she was staring at.

Mark held his hands up in surrender and went back towards their room. He returned a minute later carrying a polaroid. "Okay Lil, I got the picture, now explain!" Mark demanded handing the picture over.

Lillianna threw the picture in the box and shook her head as her smile grew, "Look at this!" Lilly exclaimed as she pulled the picture out and turned it to face him.

"Yeah so? It's our picture..." Mark said grabbing it. He stared at the picture sadly. It was the only picture he and Lilly owned with their mother in it. Apparently a nurse had snuck it to their social worker when they were being picked up at the hospital.

"No it's not Mark." Lillianna said lifting something else out of the box, "This is our picture." she said showing him and identical photo, "That one is mom's."

Mark grabbed the other picture in shock. He placed them delicately on the ground. The two twins stared at two photos of a red haired woman holding a pink and a blue bundle, one in each arm, with a huge smile on her face.

"This isn't possible..." Mark whispered after a minute or so. He turned to his sister with a huge smile on his face. They didn't have to say anything to know that they were both about to cry.

"Mmmmmmm." one of the sleeping adults behind them groaned, "Oh, morning guys." Scully whispered as she sleepily rubbed her eyes, "What are you two up to this early?"

"Mom," Lilly asked seriously, "What is this?" she held up one of the pictures.

Scully gasped and quickly grabbed the photo, "I-it's just a picture of mine. Nothing to worry about."

"Actually no." Mark said holding up the matching picture, "This is your picture. That one is ours."

"What?" Scully asked crawling off the couch, "Why on earth would you have that picture? I mean..."

Lilly took over answering, "We were told that a nurse had taken that picture the first time our mother held us." she explained quietly as she curled into Scully's side, "They said that half an hour later she had hemmoraged and died."

"No." Scully said right away, "Th-this isn't p-possible. They were...c-complications! You died!" she said loudly as a few tears started to make there way down her face.

Mulder was woken by Scully's loud outburst and crawled to the ground next to her, "Scully? What's wrong?" he sat behind her and pulled her so she was sitting between his legs and started rubbing her shoudlers, "Dana? Angel, what's wrong? What's going on?"

Mark and Lilly looked at each other, each of them raising an eyebrow at the use of the pet name.

"I-it's them!" Scully yelled as she started brushing her tears off.

"Who's who?" Mulder asked still extremely confused.

"Mark and Lilly!" Scully said holding the pictures up for him to examine, "They are them! They are MY twins!" Scully exclaimed happily.

"Sweetheart, that's a bit of a leap isn't it?" Mulder asked trying, for once, to be the voice of reason.

"Sweetheart?" Mark and Lillianna whispered to each other. They were just observing the two adults 'talk'.

Scully sighed turning and kneeling in front of him to look him in the eye, "No! One of these pictures I have had for over thirteen years, and the other one is the kids!" she said animatedly, "They are my twins. Don't you see it Mulder? They aren't dead!"

"Are you sure Angel?" Mulder asked bringing his hand up to cup her cheek. He was only trying to protect her. He didn't want her getting her hopes up for nothing.

"Angel?" Mark and Lilly finally questioned in their regular voices.

"Mulder, sweetie, just look at them!" Scully said gesturing as she turned back to face the kids. Both were confused by the looks on their faces, "What?" the two adults asked almost simultaneously.

"What was with the pet names?" Lilly asked. She had an almost conspiritorial smile on her face.

"What are they talking about Mulder?" Scully asked quietly.

"Not a clue sweetheart." Mulder answered. The two kids rolled their eyes, "So I know your half of the story, what about the twins?"

The kids had a much shorter version of the events that had transpired than their mother did, "We were told that mom had died of a hemorage a half an hour after she gave birth to us. We were put in the system and were bounced from house to house, well until now hopefully." Mark explained.

Scully quickly reached out and grabbed one of there hands each. Mulder studied all three closely for a moment before casually saying, "I have to admit baby, they do look a lot like you."

Scully smiled at him a little before it quickly fell from her face, "I-I just can't figure out why we were seperated! I mean why go through all the trouble of so much lying? Why were my kids taken from me?" Scully questioned.

"I don't know mom, I'm just glad we found you." Mark said as he hugged her from the left side. Lillianna quickly hugged her from the right.

XxXxXxXxX

The family spent the morning and most of the afternoon continuing what they had been doing for the past three weeks; Getting to know one another.

Mulder had run home quickly to grab a few changes of clothes and other miscellanious items he would need. After everything that had happened everyone agreed he shoud stay for a few days.

"Mom?" Lilly asked.

"Yeah baby?"

"Whose our dad?"

Scully blushed and looked down at the drink in her hand, "Uh actually, I uh don't know." she admitted, "I got like really REALLY drunk and had a one night stand. I never got his name and I really don't remember much."

they sat quietly for a second before Mark laughed quietly, "What, may I ask, is so funny young man?" Scully asked glaring at her son.

"I was just thinking," Mark began as he tried to stop his giggles, "Dad's not gonna have to fight off any ex-boyfriends." when Mark realized what he had just revealed he slapped a hand over his mouth. He hadn't meant to let Scully know that he and Lilly privately referred to Mulder as dad.

Scully just smiled and took an easy sip of her drink, "Mulder really does loves you guys. I have no problem with you calling him dad, if he's okay with it."

Lilly stared at her mother in shock. Today had been one of the most chaotic days of her life, "So I have to ask, what happened between you and dad last night? I mean we go to bed and you're partners and friends and we wake up and you're cuddling on the couch and calling each other sweetie and angel. What gives?"

Scully blushed a little under her daughters scrutiny, "Last night I told him all about you guys. How I got pregnant, when I found out it was twins, the...incident at the hospital, all of it. He had been comforting me because I had cried. A lot. I guess we just let the pet names slip this morning. We're still just friends, nothing has changed there."

Mark sighed, "You two could be having the best sex of your life! Just tell him how you feel!"

"Oh?" Scully asked with an eyebrow raised, "And, please do tell me, just how do I feel?"

"You two are so in love with each other every other person in the universe can see it!" Lillianna yelled exasperated, "I don't know how you two can be so utterly blind. It is litterally mind baffling!"

Quietly Mulder opened Scully's front door, hoping that they had all decided to take naps. Everyone had been up really early that morning. He snuck in and immediately heard voices. _no such luck_ he gurmbled silently to himself. He decided that this was the perfect opportunity to scare they pants off of Scully. He stopped just short of the living room, where he could finally make out their conversation.

"Mulder is not in love with me! We're partners..." Scully explained.

"Does that mean that you love him?" Mark asked slyly.

"What? I never said that!" Scully answered immediately.

"Oh." Lillianna said thoughtfully, "So you don't love him?" she asked. Mulder thought that these two were better interrogaters than most of the ones that Quantico had trained.

There was a rather long stretch of silence after that question, "I didn't say that either..." Scully finally admitted.

"Ugh! You two are impossible!" Lillianna declared flopping against the back of the couch.

Mark and Lillianna were sitting facing the door with Scully directly across from them so when Mulder emerged and quickly put a finger to his lips, the woman was completely oblivious. He crept up behind Scully, bent over the back of the couch, and grabbed her around the waist quickly lifting her off the couch.

Scully let out an uncharacteristic squeal before bursting out laughing, "Mulder!" She yelled with a huge smile, "Put me down!"

Mulder had somehow turned her around so he put her down facing him. Their eyes quickly locked. In that minute she wanted to kiss him so badly but once again chickened out and looked away before going to sit down. Mulder sighed but followed her lead, inserting himself into the conversation almost effortlessly.

**A/N: I hope you liked it! :) Leave a review and let me know what you think! I love hearing from you guys. Seriously ideas, advice, anything! Enjoy!**


	5. Chapter 5

It was the day before Christmas Eve. Mulder had spent the past week at Scully's apartment. So far, every night would be the same. Every night Mulder would go to sleep on the couch in the living room and every night between one and three AM Mark and/or Lilly would wake him up. They would tell him that Dana was having a night mare and he would get up and go into her room to try and help her. Every night as soon as he crawled into the bed and put his arms around her she would quiet and go back to a peaceful sleep. If he tried to get up and go back out to the couch she would subconsciously grab onto him tightly and not let go until he basically relented.

Tonight however was a different story. Tonight when he was woken up it was not by either of the twins, but Dana herself. "Scully, baby what's wrong?" He asked quickly sitting up.

"Will you come to bed?" was her whispered response. She held out her hand silently and he took it. She leads him down the hall and into her room where they got under the covers together, almost like they'd been doing so for years.

"Angel, will you tell me what's wrong? What happened?" Mulder asked moving a stray piece of hair that had fallen into her face behind her ear.

Scully looked down sheepishly, refusing to meet his eyes, "I can't sleep without you anymore Mulder." She whispered. After a second she looked up so their eyes locked, "I need you to hold me. Please."

"Always Angel, always." He whispered back to her in an equally quiet voice. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.

They were silent for a few minutes. Scully was convinced he was fast asleep when she whispered, "What are we going to do when you leave?"

Mulder laid there silent for a minute. He realized quickly that this was his chance. This was the perfect moment he had been waiting years for, "I don't need to leave Angel."

Scully's eyes snapped up to his, "What do you mean Mulder?" she asked quietly as her brow furrowed in confusion.

Mulder took a deep breath. His answer was to lean his head down and cover her lips with his own. The kiss was gentle and perfect. He started to panic a little until Scully wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss with a moan. He couldn't help but smile when she turned from being on her side to lying on her back, pulling him on top of her.

Mulder slowly broke the kiss. He stared into her eyes, seeing her soul, and gently stroked her cheeks and lips with his fingertips, "I love you Angel." He whispered in her ear.

"Oh god Mulder," Scully whispered kissing his lips for a brief second, "I love you too." She pulled his head down to hers. Their clothes quickly found new residence on the floor and talking was cut down to whispered names and declarations of love.

XxXxXxXxX

Slowly Lillianna blinked her eyes open the next morning. Glancing at the alarm clock she realized it was just after 5am and had no idea why she was awake. With a groan of frustration she sat up and stared straight ahead for a second, waiting for the head rush to pass. Without a second thought she picked up a spare pillow and threw it at Mark, hitting him right in the head. If she was going to be awake this early so was he!

"Lil! What gives?" he asked now equally as frustrated.

"I woke up, and promptly got bored, so I woke you up." She explained smiling an 'innocent' smile at him. Mark sighed but got up.

After a while they decided to go watch television or something so they left their room, only to find the living room empty, "Did you wake up dad last night?" Lilly asked.

"No, I thought you did." Mark answered, "He probably just heard mom himself or something. Don't worry about it." He said with a shrug.

They had just been pouring cereal for breakfast when they heard giggling coming from the back of the apartment, "Looks like mom and dad are awake. I wonder what's so funny?" Lilly said as she set the cereal box on the counter and started to move towards her mom's room.

"Lilly, what are you doing?" Mark asked as he gently grabbed her shoulder.

"Shouldn't we at least ask if they want some breakfast?" she asked smiling sweetly. Mark knew that wasn't her real reason, she was curious as to what was going on, but he would let her go check.

"Sure, let's go." Mark said as he gestured for his sister to proceed. She smiled smugly before walking down the hallway. They pressed their ears to the door to see if they could discern what was going on. The only thing they heard was Mulder's slightly gasped exclamation of, "Dana!"

"What the hell?" Mark asked now as curious as his sister. They had a silent conversation with their eyes for a moment before Lilly reached for the doorknob.

Quietly she pushed the door open, before screaming, "Oh my god!" and running off down the hall.

Mark smirked at the two adults now trying to hide under the covers, "Congrats guys." He said before closing the door with a chuckle and going to find his more prudish twin.

XxXxXxXxX

"Mulder, did our kids just see us…." Scully trailed off as her cheeks turned the color of her hair.

"Having sex? Yes indeed they did." Mulder said with a slight nod of his head. They stared at the door in shock before leaning back against the pillows almost simultaneously. They looked over at each other and burst out laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation.

"Well, at least we don't have to have an awkward conversation about the 'change in our relationship'." Scully said mockingly before placing a soft kiss against his lips, "get up and put some clothes on. We don't need to scar them further by letting them think we continued."

"Okay miss bossy." Mulder said before pulling her head to his again for a quick passionate kiss, "Love you." He whispered in her ear.

Scully gave him a rare huge smile before whispering, "Love you too."

XxXxXxXxX

"Okay, so Uncle Bill gets a tie, Aunt Tara gets a spa gift card, Mattie gets a teddy bear," Lillianna listed. She and Scully were wrapping Christmas presents while the boys shopped for theirs, "Uncle Charlie gets Yankee/Dodgers tickets, Aunt Katie gets a gym membership, CJ gets some dvd's."

"Correct." Scully said. They sat on the floor with all the presents surrounding them, along with boxes and wrapping paper.

"What are we giving grandma?" Lilly asked as she noticed they didn't have a gift for Maggie in the pile. Scully handed her a folder, and Lilly quickly looked through in, "Are these DNA results?" she asked shocked.

"Yes." Scully answered. When she noticed her daughter's confused look she continued, "These two pieces of paper prove that you and Mark are my children, and her grandchildren."

Lillianna smiled and hugged her mom, "That is a great idea!"

"Thanks baby." Scully said kissing the girls forehead.

They had finished wrapping all the presents when Lillianna finally said, "Soooo…What did you get dad?"

"A jersey signed by the Knicks power forward." She admitted a little sheepishly.

"Wow!" Lilly exclaimed. Then she became a little embarrassed but forced herself to get over it, "So uh what happened between the two of you?"

"We took the advice you and Mark gave us." Scully said matter-of-factly.

Lilly was confused, "Which piece of advice exactly?"

Scully looked over at her with a smile, "I had the best sex of my life." She admitted making them both laugh.

After they had finally stopped laughing and caught their breath they asked, "So are you two like together now?"

Scully sighed kind of wistfully, "Don't get your hopes up," she warned, "But he may be moving in with us."

"What?!" Lilly yelled happily, "Oh my God!"

Scully chuckled a little at the girls over the top reaction, "Calm down baby. I thought I said don't get your hopes up?"

"I didn't listen." Lilly said with a shrug. Scully shook her head and turned back to her wrapping.

XxXxXxXxX

"So, are you and mom like…?" Mark asked as he and Mulder walked around the mall.

"Together?" Mulder asked, "Yeah, we are." He answered smiling.

"Good." Mark said nodding his head with a slight sense of finality. Both men knew they wouldn't need to talk about it more. "So what are you getting her for Christmas?"

Mulder smirked, "A keychain."

"Dad!" Mark exclaimed exasperated, "You two just got together and admitted your undying love for each other. You can't just get her some half-assed present!"

"Hey, let me explain will ya?" Mulder asked rolling his eyes slightly, "Keychains are kind of special to us. I got her this Apollo 11 one once. I was going to get her one this year, but put an engagement ring on it like it was a key."

"What? Oh you are one clever son of a bitch!" Mark exclaimed shocked, "Lil is gonna freak! She'll be so excited! Mom will definitely say yes!"

"Thanks man." Mulder said lightly clapping him on the shoulder.

The two roamed the stores for a while, "So everyone is coming to our house tomorrow?" Mark asked.

"Yupp." Mulder confirmed, "Your grandma's probably gonna show up first a few hours early, followed by your Uncle's Bill and Charlie and their families."

"Oh fun, another holiday with the ever popular Uncle Bill." Mark muttered sarcastically.

"Hey, just be happy that your mom bought his gift already." Mulder said seriously.

"Yeah," Mark agreed laughing slightly, "He gets a tie. Poor bastard."

"Let's just hope he doesn't ruin my Christmas present to your mom." Mulder said panicking a little.

XxXxXxXxX

"Mulder! That tree is huge!" Scully exclaimed gawking at the tree that stood at at least seven feet now occupying her living room.

"Angel, you are just short." Mulder deadpanned. It earned him a smack on the arm, "Ow!"

"Don't call me short and I won't hit you." Scully said with a shrug. He glanced at her a little so Scully stood on her tip-toes and kissed him lightly, "Better?"

"Much." Mulder said as a huge smile covered his face. He leaned down and kissed her more passionately.

Lilly and Mark chose that moment to join them in the living room. Lilly took one look at them and yelled, "Agh! Flashbacks!"

Scully broke the kiss by throwing her head back laughing. Mulder watched the amazing woman in his arms and thought for the billionth time that day that he was the luckiest man alive. She was his!

"Come on guys, let's get decorating!" Scully declared once her laughter died down.

Mark and Lillianna smiled excitedly and started digging through boxes with their mom. Mulder just watched his family have fun for a few moments before joining the festivities.

**A/N: I hope everyone liked it. Next chapter the whole family gets together for the holidays! Can't wait! Please leave a review :) **


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